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Ohio Castles

Experience an overnight stay in an Ohio castle.

By Barbara Humeston, Contributing Editor, Midwest Living

Midwest Living editors and writers have stayed at the two castlelike accommodations in the Buckeye State: Ravenwood Castle, south of New Plymouth, Ohio (65 miles southeast of Columbus) and GreatStone Castle in Sidney, Ohio (40 miles north of Dayton).

Veteran bed-and-breakfast hosts Sue and Jim Maxwell turned back the clock to medieval England, when they built Ravenwood Castle atop a high hill in the rugged, scenic Hocking Hills. Some 115 acres of woods and rock formations surround the massive stone structure, which you reach by driving a half-mile down a private road.

You can choose rooms and suites in the castle's towers. Most rooms have private balconies and some antique furnishings. All include gas fireplaces and stained-glass windows and/or lamps. Having no room phones or TVs contributes to the medieval ambience. You also can stay in several little cottages with "jolly old England" themes or in reproductions of the bright-colored gypsy wagons that once rolled through the British countryside.

A huge stone fireplace warms the castle's Great Hall, where heavy, carved tables and chairs lend a Gothic flair to the full breakfasts (dinners by reservation only). The adjacent Coach House Tea Room serves lunch Thursdays-Sundays, May through mid-November. Guests also can browse The Little Shops at Ravenwood for gifts and souvenirs.

Victoria and Frederick Keller welcome guests to GreatStone Castle, a massive 1890s limestone mansion that tops a hill overlooking the historic county-seat town of Sidney. You can stroll among the gardens and 100-year-old oaks on the two acres of lawn surrounding the handsome four-story, which features three fanciful turrets and 18-inch-thick walls of Indiana limestone. Ornate stone columns support the wraparound porch.

Rare woods from around the world decorate the interior. You'll marvel at the hand-carved staircase of red African mahogany, gleaming wood floors, towering ceilings and leaded- and stained-glass windows. Victorian-style pieces furnish three guest rooms, as well as two suites with dressing areas and fireplaces. Guests wake to fresh pastries and fruit served in the sun-drenched conservatory.